Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Ugly ❯ First changes ( Chapter 2 )

Duo and Zechs were left standing in the livingroom.

 

”Well!” Zechs exclaimed, sounding delighted. ”Time to call the ol' ball and chain to let her know I won't be available this evening.” He strutted to the Maxwel's home phone and started to dial Noin's cell number.

”But... Didn't you say that she..?” Duo resembled a questionmark.

”Yeah, and she will, I think, once she hears that I'm busy.”

 

Duo nodded. He was stupefied, but very, very glad. A bit timid also. This was awfully nice of Zechs, and he really didn't want to be trouble.

Then he was also wondering, didn't his sister have a life of her own at all? Would she always make her plans according to Zechs'?

 

Zechs had caught her on the phone and was talking. There was some loud yelling from the receiver, and Duo could even make out the words : ”But you promised!” amidst the noise. Zechs spoke to her soothingly and when she would't calm down, he finally said: ”Lucrecia. I'm staying here now, together with Duo. ” then he lowered his voice, obviously not wanting Duo to hear. ”He needs me..”

Duo could hear the answer to that.

”I need you! I swear! You care more about that brat then you do about me...”

Zechs cooed to her some more and ended the conversation after a while. ”Women.” he said, exasperatedly. ”They have no controll over their feelings...”

Wanting to turn the conversation into something else Duo asked:”Wasn't that 'Noin' your invention, Zechs? That's the only name she ever wants to answer to...”

Zechs went to the kitchen to get the pizza, snickerig on his way. ”Yeah”, he called ”It was.” Duo could hear some laughter.

”See, when I was sitting with Treize and some other guys...” Duo heard him slice up the pizza ”We would look at these chicks walking by, discussing about who we liked and who we didn't...”

He returned. Duo had gone to sit on the old, brown, corduroy couch, and now Zechs plopped down next to him putting the pizza on the low glass table, that was standing in front of the sofa.

He took a deep, contented sigh, and continued: ”Noin walked by, and I said: 'I like her boobs. And ass. But she's a horrible bitch... But yeah, she looks good. Can't get a full ten...But nine, definitely. Almost perfect. We all laughed, and she heard that.” Zechs stopped to gesture on the pizza. ”Eat.Eat! We can get more later ya pig...” Then he reached to ruffle Duo's hair with obvious affection.

”Yeah...” said Duo, trying to get his bangs back in order. He had grown those to hide at least a little of the horrible fate his face had to suffer. ”But what happened then?”

 

Zechs continued talking, swallowing pizza: ” Yeah... So, Noin heard me laugh, and I knew, that she had the BIGGEST crush on me, and so I called out to her. I said: 'Hey, Lucrecia... How would you like to be called Noin?' We were taking German lessons, she wasn't. Boy, were the guys snickering. Her face kind of... Lit up. She said 'Yeah! Sounds really great.' The guys were laughing their asses off, and she never noticed a thing... And then she was Noin, and we started dating soon after that... But we were, of course, childish brats back then.' ”

 

Duo thought about the phone conversation he just heard, and suddenly he felt bad. Sure, Noin was a bitch, but he still thought, that she didn't deserve to be treated quite like this...

 

”Zechs?” he said quietly. ”Yeah?” The young man answered. ”Why are you with Noin, if you don't even like her?” Zechs stopped in the middle of a bite.

He turned his surprised lightblue eyes to Duo. ”What are you talking about, Duo? I love your sister very much.”

”I just... I... ” Suddenly Duo was at a loss with words. He was certain, that whatever he said, Zechs would never understand. He could't.

Duo had an understanding for other people. He never wanted to make anybody hurt for his sake, but he had bought that understanding with a high prize of continuous torture and lonelines... Perhaps... (this was a scary thought) Perhaps he would be as blind as Zechs, if not for all the hurt he suffered...

 

But looking up at Zechs he only saw a calm face with determined overall expression, and warm eyes, that were promising him forever shelter and infinite patience.

 

” I told you Duo... We were brats. Real idiots. But that was when we were about your age...” Zechs patted Duo on the shoulder. Guys didn't usually say things like these to eachother, but Zechs obviously hand't been informed. ” I love you, kiddo. I don't want you to think badly of me.”

 

Duo blushed, delighted and embarrassed. He fidgeted and mumbled something, that could have been translated as 'you too', and then he fidgeted some more.

Zechs laughed, lightly, and took another slice of pizza with amusement in his eyes. ”Tekken?” he said.

”Oh, yeah!” Duo rushed to answer, relief floating around him like an aura.

They beat eachother up for the next following hour, and when they got tired, Duo suddenly remebered the tea, wich they drank cold with lots of sugar and lemon slices, and then they headed for Duo's room.

 

”Man it is COLD!” Zechs complained while Duo rummaged his huge wardrobe for a portable stereo. Finding it he crouched to plug it in, and felt slightly embarrassed, again. This time it was for his lack of furniture.

”Love the wiew and all, but a couple of heavy and long curtains would do wonders for the draft..”

Zechs was sitting on Duo's bed , crosslegged and seemed to be shivering. He was holding three cd's in his hand. He had calmly gone and shopped those while Duo was running off somewhere, and then he had bought the pizza, and then he had just waited.

 

Now they were preparing for a music-session together.

 

Duo took the cd's from Zechs and put the first one in. Before pressing play he dived once more into his cabinet, and pulled out a shapeless, heavy, gray thing, that could be recognized as a sweater, with some imagination.

He lifted his eyebrow.

Zechs smirked.

He tossed the sweater to Zechs, who put on while Duo put on the music, and they were lost for the following three-four hours.

 

”Wow.” said Zechs suddenly. His cheeks were flushed, and hair was mussed. He had tossed the sweater away, and for the last twenty minutes it had served as Duo's cushion.

He was sitting on the floor, engaged in a heated discussion about the last band they had been listening to.

They had put on Duo's lamp that hung from the ceiling, and the only thing they could see looking at the window was their own reflections, mirrored on that inky blue surface, that was the night and glass combined.

 

”It's nine pm already... Should't you do your homework?” Zechs was streching.

”No.” Duo answered. ”I'll do it in the morning. ”

Zechs gave him a look, and he pretented not to notice.

 

He suddenly realized, that the room really was rather cold, and suggested :”Tea?” just to get an exuse to exit this refigerator.

 

He had a radiator, it was right under the window, but it was mildly warm at the best, and Duo didn't feel like complaining. Then there would be people entering his sanctuary, poking it. Making comments about it... Driving him out.

 

He usually just sat, huddled in covers (he had three) and did whatever he was in the mood for.

 

But now, Zechs was here, and acted like he had not heard the tea offer at all.

 

”You don't like school much, do you?” he said, conversationally. Duo tensed. ”No.” he answered, very clipped, brows knitted.

 

But Zechs didn't continue like Duo had expected, with a sermon of schoolings importance. He shrugged and said: ”I didn't either. A miracle I passed at all... Must've been my inborn charm working it's magic on the headmistress...” he grinned.

 

Suddenly Duo rememebred something that Zechs had said before, that had almost caused a domestic newclearbomb to explode.

”Ummm... Zechs... Earlier today... Earlier today you said something about..?”

Zechs gave a smile that seemed to indicate, that he had been sitting here patiently just waiting for Duo to ask that one question, instead of jumping around his room in sync with the metallic tunes that had been hammering the walls.

 

”Yes... About the guys wanting to come over..?”

 

Duo suddenly looked lost, very small and frightened. He turned his eyes up to Zechs.

They had now transformed into violet pools of doubts and painfull hope. His poor, knobbly, angry red cheeks seemed only to add to the look, enhancing the angelic picture he made with their hideous, plague-like ugliness.

And, it was painfully obvious from his hoarse, forced voice, how much he wanted to seem like there was nothing special about his question, like it meant nothing much to him.

 

Zechs felt his chest constrict rather painfully, but gave no indication to what was obvious to him, out of respect for the boy's feelings.

”Yes. They did want to come... They were hungry and music deprived as well. But I wasn't quite sure how you would feel about total strangers, and three of them too, all of a sudden camping out in your home...” Zechs threw in a carefree smile. ”yeah...” said Duo, and then he dropped the pretenses in a sudden fit of bitterness. ”After that little show earlier today, I don't think I ever want to see any of them ever again.” His face closed up again. He felt it happen.

 

Zechs studied him from his seat on the bed.

 

”They mentioned nothing about the incident, only saying... Expressing a wish to get to know to you in person, since you guys are kind of connected trough me... And your sister too. Since she also knows Treize... ”

 

”NO!” Duo didn't know what came over him sometimes. A sudden burst of anger, probably fueled by fear tore trough him and came out as shouting. ” I DON'T WANT TO SEE THOSE PEOPLE AGAIN! EVER! IS THAT CLEAR?!”

 

Now, had Zechs been Duo's age, he would have gone pale and given up, unable to deal with the sudden agression, never questioning Duo's words.

But he wasn't a teenager, he was an adult. And albeit being a young adult, his vision of Duo's situation was still a lot more clear then somebody's, who might have been living in the same stage of emotional turmoil themselves.

He got startled a little, but he wasn't frightened. He realized, that Duo probabaly thought that he really meant what he said, but he could also see why the boy had said that, and didn't just take it, as it came out.

Duo was proud. Very proud. Not in a bad way, but rather the sort that could almost pass as self preservation.

Duo's mother yelled at him a lot, Zechs had seen that. She never tried to look behind her son's angry words, never tried to see to the core of the problem, but rather just accused and blamed and had already given up on him.

Zechs could understand that she was tired. She was tired from work, tired from living with this situation she had no controll over and no comprehention of, tired from being yelled at when all she meant was good...

 

Yeah, Zechs could see her point of view too. But that could't still quite completely erase the judgemental feelings, that bubbled inside him. He suspected that his own youth might have something to do with those, but was unable to help himself.

How could people go and make children, expect them to turn out totally un-problematic, and then give up them when that didn't happen?

 

Zechs didn't feel like going to his three month 'retreat' anymore. He didn't want to leave Duo alone for a second.

And yet... He knew he had to go. He sighed. But he'd be damned if he left without knowing that there was atleast someone present, who cared for Duo and understood him... At least a little.

So much could happen in three months...

 

”What are you sighing for?” Duo's voice penetrated Zechs' thoughts, harsh and asking for a fight.

”You.” Zechs smiled. ”They did want to meet you again. They never said anything about what happened. Wufei seemed odly quiet for some reason, but Heero looked like he really wanted to come, and Quatre was vocal enough for all of them. They were really disappointed when I told them they could't.”

And, indeed, Duo's anger lessened, and he became pensive instead.

It had been a quick flame, flaring for a moment, dying in the next.

”You don't have to decide now... And we could go for a hamburger together...”

”NO!!!” yelled Duo, and out he went, stomping his feet, anger renewed. Zechs was left sitting on Duo's bed, quietly chucling.

 

”Ok....No hamburgers, then... Just let me know why you don't want them, and I'll leave it be...” Zechs sat for a moment longer, figuring that they both needed some time alone to calm down.

Then he went downstairs and found Duo heating water for the tea he had wanted, all cool and calm like nothing at all.

”Where were you? I was gonna come and get you, soon.” Duo's voice ringed in the room, cheerfull.

”Ok. Good. Cause I'm thirsty. You done soon?”

Zechs was smiling, an the boy returned his smile.

”Yeah. In a minute. ”

The peace reigned once again, but the topic was far from dropped.

 

Soon mrs Maxwell came home and she and the guys watched a popular show from the tv. Then Zechs disappeared into Noin's room and Duo to his own.

 

He read awhile before going to sleep. The book was called 'Sinuhe the Egyptian' and he loved it a lot... But it didn't make him feel any better. Poor Sinuhe...

 

He put the book away after reading for an hour, and went to get his drawing things.

He wasn't so good, that he could draw facial features from memory, but he could try and capture the scene that was playing in his head. The blond boy walking ahead of him, hair and earrings glinting in the sunlight.

 

He fell asleep on his bed, in his pyjamas, lights on and the drawing pad in his lap.

 

That's where Zechs found him, when he came to play the alarm clock for Duo the following morning.

 

Duo woke slowly up, cold and a little out of it. He yawned. ”What time is it..?” he asked. ”It's seven, Duo.Time go inhale some breakfest now.” Zechs was yawning himself. Noin had not come home at all.

Zechs had a part-time job and and he studied at the university. He didn't have any lectures today and his job didn't begin till nine, so he still had more time.

Duo, on the other hand didn't. ”WHAT??? SEVEN??? I don't have time to do my homework now! Oh, crap. Maybe, if I'll skip breakfest...” he was halfway trough the door. Zechs grabbed his pj's and stopped him. ”Told ya you should have done your homework yesterday...Now, if you'll get scolded, it'll only serve you right, But you can't leave without any breakfest.”

Duo sighed, but knew that Zechs was right. He walked to the door that was open after Zechs and started descending the stairs when it hit him, that he hadn't smoked at all yesterday after coming home, and never even noticed. A weird feeling took over him. He was happy.

 

Zechs was going to go right after Duo, but had a sudden attack of motherlyness and decided to make the boy's bed. He reached over to take all the stuff from it when he noticed the drawing.

He could immediately recognize the person there. There was no mistaking him, and that left Zechs slightly surprised. But he was even more surprised, when he took a closer look at the picture.

It spoke to him about many things. The way the boy was drawn excuded admiration. The shining hair was lovingly done and the jacket had creases, that would have taken time to draw. His neck was drawn as very gracefull, even more so, then what the real thing had, and his steeltoed boots commanded respect.

But there was jealousy there too. The face was drawn extremely beautifull, but it had a light sneer, that could not be detected from the model's real expression. That made Zechs chuckle.

But the most surprising part of the picture were still the buttocks and backs of the tighs.

Covered in blue jeans, they were shapely, very so, and the fabrick was clinging on all the curves. It was very precily drawn, and someone had taken a LOT of time getting the buttocks round and pert.

”I see...” Zechs hummed to himself. He wasn't labeling Duo in anyway, since Duo was, afterall a teenager still, prone to be insecure and searching, but it was an interesting discovery nonetheless. He quicly put the drawing pad back on the bed and went after Duo.

 

”Hey Duuoo!” he sang. ”I was goonna makee your bee-eed... But then I thought of all the ridicule I'd have to suffer for doing such a task, and decided to leave it.”

 

Duo laughed. ”You bet! Now fetch me my coffee, maid! Bring a cup for yourself, too.”

Zechs curtsied. ”Yes, mistress. You're very kind mistress.”

It took a while for Duo to comprehend, but he finally did, then chased Zechs around roaring for awhile and settled after that for a nice cup of java and happy vibes.

 

School would't be any different from what it always was, but at least he'd gotten the morning right. He wished that Zechs would be here more often, but usually Noin was camping out on Zechs' place...

But, one musn't be too greedy, thought he, and went to get himself dressed.

Tbc